The Belgian Grand Prix brought a huge tactical battle, but an extremely uneventful and boring race, at the end of which George Russell, who made the only pit stop, was happy!
At the start, Charles Leclerc came easily, with Sergio Perez battling with the on-rushing Lewis Hamilton behind him. Red Bull's number two driver couldn't even keep up with Hamilton, so the Briton took the position from him. Further back, Max Verstappen, who started from the middle of the field due to the starting penalty, also crushed the opposition nicely, and closed up to eighth place in just two laps. Meanwhile, Hamilton showed great pace at the front, and chased Leclerc after Perez, so he took the lead!
After the first pit stops, the leading field changed to hard ones, and the order remained the same as it was, except for Oscar Piastri, who moved up one to overtake Perez. But in the meantime, the race began to flatten out nicely, becoming featureless… We may have seen a big tactical battle, and it would have been difficult to guess the identity of either the winner or the first three, but it was still very slim. Laps passed, and the only significant position changes actually occurred during the pit stops, which brought a little light into the night, those were the different tactics. Even at the same teams, the drivers were selected separately, thanks to which, for example, Hamilton visited the pit twice, while George Russell attempted the “impossible” with a single change. The last laps actually proved to be crucial, as those arriving further back could wait for their turn on fresher tires. Accordingly, it was far from certain that the Briton, who was still in the lead on lap 38 but was racing on tough surfaces, would be able to maintain his position, as well as his podium position...
We expected this, but practice showed something completely different: George Russell left no real surface for attack with fantastic tire handling, and with a huge tactical move and great driving, he surprisingly won the Belgian Grand Prix. Lewis Hamilton and Oscar Piastri also finished on the podium in a race where the last few laps showed why we love this sport!
Then the next few hours are about WHAT we hate about it: Starting with the victory taken away from Russell due to a weight limit deficit, continuing with the old-fashioned style seen in the comment boxes... But to stay objective, the finishers of the Belgian Grand Prix in order: Lewis Hamilton, Oscar Piastri, Charles Leclerc.
Let's hope they don't change it today...
